In an interview yesterday, Activision boss Bobby Kotick expressed his belief that 1 billion dollars are not enough to create an MMORPG to compete with World Of Warcraft.
"We don't think that even if we made the USD 500 million or billion-dollar investment to get a product out that we would even be successful doing it," said Kotick. "When we first started looking at it, it appeared to us like a game in an insurmountable product category... EA, Microsoft, Sony and scores of venture capital investments had been put to work unsuccessfully in trying to develop massively multiplayer games as a product opportunity."
Kotick then explained that this belief was the reason why Activision opted to merge with Blizzard and acquire World of Warcraft in the process.
As soon as Kotick's words were published, response came from Lars Buttler, formerly the VP of Global Online at Electronic Arts and currently the CEO and co-founder of Trion World Network, who accused Kotick of trying to "scare off competition".
" Nice try Mr. Kotick. We understand that Activision has to defend its merger and scare competition - but I have to call his bluff," said Lars Buttler. "We couldn't be more impressed with what Blizzard has started but WoW is just the beginning; it's pretty wild to suggest that there's only one team that could ever realize the potential of the connected era - and that there's no one out there that can deliver, no matter what the investment. They are truly a great team but there are other great teams out there who will make smart decisions, leverage the full advantage of connectivity and define the future of interactive entertainment."
"There are challenges for traditional publishers in this realm, there's no doubt. But with the right tools and technology, creativity and grasp of the potential that the connected era brings, new teams will create amazing games. Our message to developers and gamers alike is: there's been a paradigm shift everyone; join the party! We would go so far as to say: if you disagree with Mr. Kotick, call us!"